Floor-jack.



No. 896,477. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908. H. T. & E. M. SPEDDEN.

FLOOR JACK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1908.

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n mam M h J m m n T A a WW fi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRIE T. SPEDDEN AND EDWARD M. SPEDDEN, OF OHEWELAH, WASHINGTON.

FLOOR- JACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRIE T. SPEDDEN and EDWARD M. SPEDDEN, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Chewelah,

in the county of Stevens and State of Washington, have invented a new and Improved Floor-Jack, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to floor jacks employed for forcing the tongues and grooves of floor boards together while laying and securing them upon joists, studding or ceiling timbers, and has for its object to provide novel details of construction for a floor jack, that adapt it for very convenient and effective service as a means for forcing together and holding flooring in place, before nailing such boards on the frame of a building or other structure.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts as is hereinafter described and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in WhlOll similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved floor jack; Flg. 2 is a side view of the improved jack applied for the closure of a joint between two floor boards, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the jack as ppplied, substantially on the line 3 3 in The body portion of the improved floor jack, comprises a flat plate member 5 of a suitable length, having a straight free edge 5 thereon that may be thickened, and as shown, a longitudinal groove a is formed in said thickened portion, having a width that adapts it to receive freely a tongue formed on a floor board and having standard thickl ess.

Upon the body plate 5, at its longitudinal center, and spaced from the edge portion 5 a socket member 6 is formed integrally, said socket member receiving a filling block 7 which may be formed of hard wood, and projects from the socket a suitable distance, having a metal band 8 forced upon its free end for protection against splitting, that might result from percussion due to blows on the end of the filling block, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The socket 6 is closed at the end nearest to the grooved edge portion 5 by an end wall 6*, and integral with said wall at the axial center of the socket, an upright flange 6 is formed, which is also integral at its forward edge and lower portions with the thickened and grooved formation 5 The upright flange 6 has parallel sides and at each of said sides, the body portion 5 is slotted, these slots 1) having an equal width.

A lever 8, having a handle 8 on one end, is provided with a fork at the opposite end thereof, which may be formed or secured on said end and consists of two spaced limbs 8 that are parallel with each other. The limbs 8 receive loosely between them the flange 6 and oppositely in said limbs similar longitudinal slots (2 are formed, that respectively receive a pivot bolt 0, which passes through the slots and through a perforation in the flange 6 and is loosely secured in place by a nut c on one end, there being a head 0 on. the opposite end of the bolt. Upon the free ends of the limbs 8 which are contracted edgewise, shar ened toes 0l are formed, which in service wor in and project through the slots 1) for embedment into the joists or other framework that receives siding or floor boards.

In Fig. 2, that shows one example. of the application of the improved jack, A indicates a joist that may be horizontally positioned for supporting a floor thereon, and B, B, floor boards laid upon the joist that may be one of a series which are to receive flooring. Assuming that the floor board B has been secured by nails or the like upon the joists, such as A, and the loose board B laid with its grooved edge 6 located adjacent to the tongue e on the securedfloor board B, it will be seen that by downward pressure on the lever handle 8 and lateral pressure thereon in direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, there may be an enforced embedment of the tongue e into the groove 6, it being understood that the tongue 6' on the loose board B has been inserted within the groove a in the portion 5 of the body 5 previous to such lateral rocking movement of the lever 8.

Obviously, when the joint between the two floor boards has been closed by manipulation of the floor jack as described, the operator may hold the lever 8 under lateral pressure by resting his body thereagainst, so that his hands may be free for manually inserting nails through the board and into the joist by means of a hammer or the like, whereby to secure the board to the joist.

The improvement may be utilized as described for closing the joints between siding or wood lining on the studding of a house frame, or upon ceiling timbers Where it is desired to line the walls with wainscoting or ceiling boards.

In some situations, where it is not convenient to produce suflicient lateral pressure with the lever 8, or it is necessary to first start the tongue into the groove by blows of a hammer, the operator may use such an implement for the purpose indicated, by application of the hammer head upon the wooden "filling block 7, this being effected while the lever is pressed upon, so that by applied percussion and strain of the lever a close fitting tongue on a board may be fully embedded within a corresponding groove in a mating board.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A floor jack, embodying a flat body, having a straight grooved edge, an upright flange thereon extended rearward from the grooved edge at right angles therewith, a forked lever, the limbs thereof each having a longitudinal slot, said limbs loosely embracing the flange, screws or the like passing through the slots into the flange, the body having a slot therein each side of the flange so that the ends of the limbs may engage material through said slots.

2, A floor jack embodying a flat body having a straight grooved edge, a flange thereon extended rearward from said grooved edge, the body being slotted at each side of the flange, a forked lever having sharp toes on its spaced limbs, means for loosely securing these limbs upon opposite sides of the flange so that the toes thereon work through the slots, and means for supporting a percussion block; on the body rearward of the flange.

3. A floor jack, embodying a flat body having a straight grooved edge thereon, a socket having a closed end wall and adapted for holding a percussion block, an integral upright flange extended between the grooved edge and the closing end wall, the flat body having a slot at each side of the flange, a forked lever, the limbs of which loosely embrace the flange and work on said slots, said limbs having sharp toes thereon and longitudinal slots, and a pivot bolt that passes through the slots and also through a lateral perforation in the flange.

In witness whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

H'ARRIE T. SPEDDEN. EDWARD M. SPEDDEN. Witnesses:

GEORGE A. MOWATT, ELLIS H. KIELING. 

